Luke Prokop | |||
---|---|---|---|
![]() Prokop with the Edmonton Oil Kings in 2022 | |||
Born | Edmonton, Alberta, Canada | May 6, 2002||
Height | 6 ft 5 in (196 cm) | ||
Weight | 220 lb (100 kg; 15 st 10 lb) | ||
Position | Defence | ||
Shoots | Right | ||
NHL team (P) Cur. team | Nashville Predators Milwaukee Admirals (AHL) | ||
NHL draft | 73rd overall, 2020 Nashville Predators | ||
Playing career | 2022–present |
Luke Prokop (born May 6, 2002) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman for the Milwaukee Admirals of the American Hockey League as a prospect for the Nashville Predators of the National Hockey League (NHL), who selected him in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft. In 2021, Prokop came out as gay, becoming the first player under contract with an NHL team to do so. [1]
Prokop is from Edmonton, Alberta. [1] He became a fan of Shea Weber, a right-handed defenceman, when he watched Weber playing ice hockey at the 2010 Winter Olympics for the Canadian men's national ice hockey team. [2] [3] Prokop became a fan of Weber's team, the Nashville Predators of the National Hockey League (NHL), and began wearing jersey number 6 in his honour. [4]
Prokop attended the Pursuit of Excellence Hockey Academy in Kelowna, British Columbia. The Calgary Hitmen of the Western Hockey League (WHL) selected Prokop with their first round selection, the seventh overall, of the 2017 WHL Bantam Draft. [5] He played for Canada's national under-18 ice hockey team in the 2018 IIHF World U18 Championships. [6]
The Predators selected Prokop in the third round, with the 73rd overall selection, of the 2020 NHL Entry Draft. [7] [3] In December 2020, he signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Predators, [4] [8] and spent the 2020–21 season with Calgary.
The Hitmen traded Prokop to the Edmonton Oil Kings on October 13, 2021. [9] He opened the 2022–23 season with the Norfolk Admirals of the ECHL. [10] On October 25, 2022, the Seattle Thunderbirds traded three conditional WHL draft picks to Edmonton for Prokop. [11]
During his childhood, playing hockey was his main extracurricular focus. [2] At 12-13 years old, he started to realize that he was a "good hockey player" and decided he wanted to make a career out of it. [2] His older brother, Josh, is also an ice hockey player. The Calgary Hitmen signed Josh in September 2018. [12] They both spent time playing with Calgary, before Luke was traded to the Edmonton Oil Kings. [13] His parents own a golf course in Edmonton, Alberta (where Prokop is from) where he frequently visits. [3]
On July 19, 2021, Prokop came out as gay, becoming the first player under contract with an NHL team to do so. [14] [15]
Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
2017–18 | Calgary Hitmen | WHL | 14 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2018–19 | Calgary Hitmen | WHL | 62 | 1 | 9 | 10 | 12 | 11 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 0 | ||
2019–20 | Calgary Hitmen | WHL | 59 | 4 | 19 | 23 | 30 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2020–21 | Calgary Hitmen | WHL | 15 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2021–22 | Calgary Hitmen | WHL | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2021–22 | Edmonton Oil Kings | WHL | 55 | 10 | 23 | 33 | 34 | 19 | 4 | 12 | 16 | 4 | ||
2022–23 | Norfolk Admirals | ECHL | 8 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2022–23 | Seattle Thunderbirds | WHL | 43 | 4 | 17 | 21 | 20 | 19 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 6 | ||
2023–24 | Atlanta Gladiators | ECHL | 55 | 5 | 23 | 28 | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2023–24 | Milwaukee Admirals | AHL | 9 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
AHL totals | 9 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — |
Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2018 | Canada White | U17 | 6th | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
Junior totals | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Award | Year | Ref | |
---|---|---|---|
WHL | |||
Ed Chynoweth Cup | 2022, 2023 | [16] [17] | |
The Western Hockey League (WHL) is a junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitutes the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) as the highest level of junior hockey in Canada, alongside the Ontario Hockey League and Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League. Teams play for the Ed Chynoweth Cup, with the winner moving on to play for the Memorial Cup, Canada's national junior championship. WHL teams have won the Memorial Cup 19 times. The WHL is composed of 22 teams divided into two conferences of two divisions. The Eastern Conference comprises 11 teams from Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta, while the Western Conference comprises eleven teams from British Columbia and the American states of Washington and Oregon.
This is a timeline of events throughout the history of the Western Hockey League (WHL), which dates back to its founding in 1966. The league was founded by a group of team owners and managers in Saskatchewan and Alberta, including Bill Hunter, Scotty Munro, Del Wilson, and Jim Piggott, who thought a larger western league would help western teams compete for the Memorial Cup against teams from the larger associations in Ontario and Quebec. Since the league's founding, it has expanded to include 22 teams across the four Western Canadian provinces along with the Northwest United States, and it has produced 19 Memorial Cup championship teams.
The Edmonton Oil Kings are a Canadian junior ice hockey team based in Edmonton, Alberta, that play in the Western Hockey League (WHL). The team, founded in 2006, shares an ownership group with the National Hockey League's Edmonton Oilers. The team is the fourth WHL team based in Edmonton, and its identity connects to the original Oil Kings club, which was one of the league's founding franchises in 1966. The Oil Kings are three-time WHL champions and won the 2014 Memorial Cup.
Alexandre Plante is a Canadian-South Korean professional ice hockey defenceman who is currently playing for Anyang Halla of the Asia League Ice Hockey (AL). He was selected by the Edmonton Oilers 15th overall in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft and made his National Hockey League (NHL) debut in 2009–10. He is the son of former professional defenceman Cam Plante, while his brother, Tyler, is a goaltending coach for the Brandon Wheat Kings.
Mark Alexander Terrance Pysyk is a Canadian professional ice hockey player for the Calgary Wranglers of the American Hockey League while under contract to the Calgary Flames of the National Hockey League (NHL). Pysyk was originally selected in the first round, 23rd overall, in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft by the Buffalo Sabres.
Tyson Barrie is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman for the Nashville Predators of the National Hockey League (NHL). He has previously played for the Colorado Avalanche, Toronto Maple Leafs and the Edmonton Oilers. He was drafted by the Avalanche in the third round, 64th overall, of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft.
Curtis Lazar is a Canadian professional ice hockey player for the New Jersey Devils of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected by the Ottawa Senators in the first round of the 2013 NHL Entry Draft.
Tyler Wotherspoon is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman for the Utica Comets of the American Hockey League (AHL) while under contract to the New Jersey Devils of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected by the Calgary Flames in the second round, 57th overall, at the 2011 NHL Entry Draft. Wotherspoon played four seasons of junior hockey for the Western Hockey League (WHL)'s Portland Winterhawks and was a member of the team's Western Hockey League championship team before turning professional in 2013.
Travis Sanheim is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman for the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League (NHL). Sanheim was selected by the Flyers in the first round, 17th overall, of the 2014 NHL Entry Draft.
Ethan Bear is a Cree Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman for the Washington Capitals of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted in the fifth round, 124th overall, by the Edmonton Oilers in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft. He represents Canada internationally, and won the gold medal at the 2023 IIHF World Championship.
Vladislav Vitalevich Yeryomenko is a Belarusian professional ice hockey defenceman currently playing for Metallurg Magnitogorsk of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL).
Kaiden Guhle is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman for the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected in the first round, 16th overall, by the Canadiens in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft.
Jake Neighbours is a Canadian professional ice hockey left winger for the St. Louis Blues of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted by the Blues in the first round of the 2020 NHL Entry Draft with the 26th overall pick.
Austin Strand is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman for the Rockford IceHogs of the American Hockey League (AHL). He previously played for the Los Angeles Kings and Anaheim Ducks in the National Hockey League (NHL).
Sebastian Cossa is a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender for the Grand Rapids Griffins in the American Hockey League (AHL) as a prospect for the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted 15th overall by the Red Wings in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft.
Dylan Guenther is a Canadian professional ice hockey right winger for the Tucson Roadrunners of the American Hockey League (AHL) as a prospect to the Utah Hockey Club of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected by the Arizona Coyotes with the ninth overall pick in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft.
Nolan Allan is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman for the Rockford IceHogs of the American Hockey League (AHL) as a prospect to the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League (NHL). Allan was drafted in the first round, 32nd overall, by the Blackhawks in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft.
Brandon Baddock is a Canadian professional ice hockey winger who is currently playing for the Rockford IceHogs in the American Hockey League (AHL). He was drafted 161st overall by the New Jersey Devils in the sixth round of the 2014 NHL Entry Draft and formerly played for the Montreal Canadiens in the National Hockey League (NHL).
Reid Schaefer is a Canadian professional ice hockey winger for the Milwaukee Admirals of the American Hockey League (AHL) as a prospect to the Nashville Predators of the National Hockey League (NHL). Schaefer was drafted 32nd overall by the Edmonton Oilers in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft, but he was traded to Nashville the following season.
Tij Iginla is a Canadian junior ice hockey forward for the Kelowna Rockets of the Western Hockey League (WHL) and the son of Hockey Hall of Fame inductee Jarome Iginla. He is considered a top prospect eligible for the 2024 NHL entry draft.